vac_basher

Looks jolly good. It certainly had me fooled!

Stunning model B)

Nice bit of woodwork you've got going their.... Is the Zulu nameplate original?

Just thought this pic was quite good, so I'd post it in this topic. 50042 on Smuggelers Lane. All I've done to the photo was made it black and white.

Nice John

Nice John. I like the gloss roof. Don't forget the 034 under the drivers windows!

50033, looking at you pic of 50031 again. Are you sure the chassis on that isn't bending? These does appear to be a crack at the front of the cab.... (lower right hand, next to the orange square) And you want some black paint on your ETH cables

Look forward to seeing the finished results John

Guys, thanks for the feedback on the marker lights. To be honest I haven't tried to run the loco with the lights on yet, but it should probably be ok, so in due course I shall now proceed to give my whole fleet the same treatment.... Phew! I'm relieved it doesn't seem to be the infamous chassis problem I've got. 50033, I really like your grills. The standard Hornby ones don't look anything like the real thing. CPRAIL has hit the nail on the head. Plus many of my Vacs have been resprayed, so it would be near impossible to match the paint . I wish I had of known about your product before I repainted some of my machines. However I'll probably try them on my next Vac (which is likely to be Ajax B) )

Gordon, I'll answer your questions: 1. Let's say 1985 - 1990. 2. Main line 3. Flat bottom 4. I believe late 1970s/early 1980s.

Today I had a go at experimenting a bit with the marker lights on one of my Vacs. I feel Hornby got it right with 50149 but they left them clear on the others, and to me it just looks like two holes are there. Why on earth couldn't they do them like they did on 50149? So I took the cabs out, removed the little bit of plastic that's supposed to be the marker lights (had to push it out with the point of a knife). I then painted it in Humbrol matt white (In retrospect I wonder why I did it in matt, surely gloss would have been better. They were glass after all!) While I was waiting for the paint to dry I had a brilliant idea about going around the edges of the markers lights with a felt-tip pen. You can see the results for yourself. One pic is a standard Hornby Vac, the other is my modified one. (Yes, I know 50040's crooked, it's meant to be like that! ) I'm thinking about doing the same job on all my fleet, but I'm interested in others views on this. Now, to matters of greater concern:- I noticed the grills on my 50019 were bent.... So I removed the body and noticed this! My grills sit normally when the body's off, but as soon as I unite it with it's chassis they bend again. This model has never been dropped or involved in any sort of collision, so I'm wondering if this is likely to be the dreaded chassis problem that is affecting so many models at the moment? Worrying....

Oh boy! There are some smashing pics here. Makes me want to give up modelling, because I'll never be able to do anything so good Keep them coming!

Thanks. I'll probably go with 28 to the legnth. One more, or one less either way probably isn't too noticable. PHD have some intresting products. Thanks for that!

I've had a good idea for a really intresting layout (more about that tonight ) but as it's going to be small I want to have really detailed track on it, however I don't want to convert to EM or P4 as it would be too expensive and too much trouble to convert all my stock, plus I still have my main layout anyway. So I'm going to stick to OO gauge for this one. Now, what I'd like to know is on the real railway how far apart are the sleepers (concrete) placed?

My ever expanding list of Vacs: (all Hornby. all DCC. some with Sound. ones that have been repainted and/or weathered have been professionally done) D400 blue. weathered 50007 Green. weathered Limited Edition of 500 50008 Laira blue. weathered 50015 Dutch. weathered with snowploughs (repaint) 50018 RNSE. snowploughs 50019 Laira blue. weathered 50026 ONSE. weathered 50029 RNSE. weathered 50031 LL. Limited Edition of 1000 50032 ONSE. weathered 50033 RNSE. weathered. 50036 LL gray roof. snowploughs 50037 Laira blue. weathered 50039 LL gray roof. weathered 50040 LL gray roof 50044 RNSE. weathered 50149 RF. Limited Edition of 1000 I also used to have the following, but they were stolen from me! 50030 RNSE 50049 RNSE 50008 Laira Blue 50037 Laira Blue 50046 LL black roof - Hellfire machine & model. The pride & joy of my collection

Busy layout! Looks good. Intresting buildings. Nice to see a few Vacs too. I don't know if you're awear but 50050 shouldn't have the horizontal handrails. It was built without them for some reason.

Sounds like a nice layout. I eagerly await to see some pics

Fair play! I'll look forward to seeing the layout develop, and as I said before I can't wait to see it in the flesh, as it were.

Da Chris, 4 hours later and I havn't made it to Treneglos, yet! I've been trying dreaming (that is, because in reality I honestly don't see it ever happening!) to see if I could somehow scale this down into a smaller layout of a similar theme (of course if ever I do actually build something like that I will seek your approval first) It's because St Blazey would be just ssooo relevant to my interests: 50s. 37s. (Did the odd 33 ever mack it down to St B, I wonder? ) Probably even the Westerns, Warships, and Baby Deltics if we go back a further decade..... I was trying to work out the general method of operating this layout. It doesn't look so at a glance, but that's actually a rather complex trackplan. I hope you don't mind that I've added some letters to your track diagram (below), for clarity, so we can understand what we're talking about. I've also taken the liberty of correcting the alignment of the turntable on the map, as it was incorrect before. So, let's assume a train runs in on Line 2 (top right of diagram), runs through Line E. Stops. Uncouples. Loco runs down to the level crossing ( I've just realised, after I'd finished writing everything, that their's no headshunt! Now I'm not sure how it's going to make the next hypothetical move?) Goes up to the turntable. Enters roundhouse. Then, let's say, another loco's booked to take a train on Line F out. So, loco emerges from roundhouse, goes onto turntable, exits on the fuel road (at which point, while they fuel the loco, the driver will go over to the pub for a pint ), goes back onto the turntable (in abscence of the headshunt, would he be allowed to run the loco through the wagon shop? or), runs off down to the level crossing (again, assuming their's a headshunt down at the level crossing), goes around the train (on Line F) via Line G, backs up onto the train, and off they go exiting the layout on Line 2. Now, that makes sense to me (p-s: except for the abscence of a headshunt, because without that the above hypotetical movements couldn't possibly happen) If you don't mind, Chris, I have a few questions. What I'm unable to understand is, why isn't their a headshunt down by the level crossing? Why not leave a headshunt long enough to accomodate a loco? What are Line A East of the turntable (light engines only, maybe?), and Line H used for? I can understand Line A goes to the fiddle yard, but if you can only enter/exit locos from Line A, what is there to fiddle with? Now let's say a train runs in from the West onto Line G. Lines E and F are occupied (as they were in one of your photos). How would the loco get back to the roundhouse? And now, post-scriptcium that is, that I've noticed their's no headshunt, say a train comes in from the East. How do you get the loco back to the roundhouse? I'm sure there's probably quite an elementary solution to these 'problems', but I'll be damned if I've been able to work it out! I don't know how prototypical you want to keep it, but, other than a headshunt by the level crossing, would a pair of opposing points up in the North-Eastern corner not be a good idea too, connecting Lines 1 & 2 Something else I've thought of, in order to justify the green class 50 apparently stabled on the mainline, perhaps you could install a signal in the vicinity of the canal bridge? Again, it depends on how 'real' you want to keep it. Sorry to be analyzing your layout so obsessively. I sincearly hope you don't mind. It's just, as I've said, I really admire it and find it extremely inspiring. I know, I know, I really do spend too much time on here. I really should get that cl. 33 finished that I've been putting off for weeks. P-S: I told you earlier that this is one of those masterpieces that will keep one awake many-a-nights thinking about it! 4am and I have to work tomorrow..... B) Now, how on earth do I add the map to this.....

Superb "Dave"! I really like the sense of depth this layout has. That is very realistic. Somthing which is seldom seen on models. I notice there's an intresting bit of pointwork to the left of the 08. Looks good, and EM gauge is so much more real looking compared to OO. Now I don't mean to be critical, but I'm just saying that if this were my layout (oh I just ssooo wish ) the only thing I'd change might be the banks along the canal, as to me they seem to look in need of a bit more vegitation (a few small trees and bushes perhaps?). oh, and also as that green cl.50 has nowhere to go I'd also add the pipes/detail to the front of it. B) Other than that it all looks perfect to me. Withut a shadow of a doubt this layout is one of those rare masterpieces that get made once every blue moon. It's like one of those records that after you listen to it your life will never be the same again. You have obviously planned and thought it all out well. It's an interesting track plan. Great buildings. 1988 was a good time for Vacs and Tractors. Then again, I assume St B used to be a steam depot back in the day. I doubt it would be too complicated to backdate it if ever you want to run some steamers on it. Now I want to go and check out your other layout, Treneglos. B)

If you intend to reverse the cross country rakes on the layout, rather then in the fiddle yard, with the automatic uncouplers (I have no idea how these things work ) that will make for some very intresting movements without the intervention of the Hand Of God. This is all starting to make sense to me now. I'm begining to really like this layout